Murdick Repeats Big Block Modifieds Win At Raceway 7

By Jay Pees

Conneaut, OH (June 26, 2015): The BRP Big Block Modified Tour made its annual visit to Raceway 7 with a full field of 32 ground-pounders signing into the pit area. After four heats to set the starting lineup, 30’pf the 32 present took to the track for their 35-lap feature, the first event on the tour for 2015. After a redraw of the top three in each heat on the front straight by kids in attendance, Rex King Sr started from the pole with Shayne Pierce on the onside front row. Dave Murdick took the lead at lap 24 and powered away to a quarter-lap lead at the checkers.

Dennis Lunger, the 2009 Evergreen Lake Park Campground CARS Crate Late Models champion, won his second feature of the season, leading every lap. Former many-time Bonnell Collision Center E-Mods champion Joel Watson took over the top spot at lap seven and went on to his first win of the season. Shaun Fawcett continued his remarkable season with his third Campbell’s Mini-Storage Street Stocks feature of the season, grabbing the lead on a lap one restart, then powering away. Defending champion Josh Ferry regained his championship form with a dominating flag-to-flag win in the Bonnell Auto Sales Economods feature. Finishing off the evening Bud Sergeff, the 2012 track champion, strengthened his lead in the Specialty Products Mini Stocks season championship battle. Sergeff took over the top spot from a restart at the halfway point.

The Bonnell Collision Center E-Mods were the first feature on the raceway with Jim Plance and Leonard Enos on the front row. Enos led the first two laps before caution slowed the field for a double spin in turn three. Enos again led with Bud Watson in hot pursuit but at the end of lap three it was two-time winner Ken Zimmer up to second. Again, only two laps were scored before another yellow slowed this event, this time for a spinning turn four. On lap six it was three wide for the lead coming out of turn two with Joel Watson joining the battle. Watson took the lead on the back straight a lap but caution again slowed the event and put Enos back on the point for yet another restart. After this green Watson again went to the lead and this time it stuck. At the end of seven it was Zimmer also getting by Enos for second but Enos fought back, regaining the spot again at nine complete. At halfway the order was Watson, Enos, Zimmer, Dan McDonald, and Bud Watson. With seven laps remaining Watson had a near quarter lap lead when caution hit once more for a single car spin. One lap after green saw Zimmer back to second. With four laps left Brent Rhebergen was up to third from eleventh on the starting grid. Watson led the remaining distance for his first Raceway 7 win of the season over Zimmer, Rhebergen, Enos, and Dan McDonald.

Dennis Lunger and Breyton Santee led the Evergreen Lake Park Campground CARS Crate Late Models to starter Mark Osburn’s green flag. Lunger grabbed the lead at the drop of green with Santee and four-time winner Chad Wright right behind. At halfway the order was Lunger, Santee, Wright, Bryan Salisbury, and last week’s winner Billy Henry. That was the finishing order in the all-green event. It was Lunger’s second win of the season.

The BRP Modifieds took to the track next with thirty of the thirty-two cars present able to answer the call to green. Rex King Sr led the field to green with Shayne Pierce on the outside of the front row. Caution struck as the cars entered turn one on the first lap when Rex King Jr spun. On the next try eight cars got together at the drop of green and came to a halt with the track nearly blocked, bringing red over the event. Dust was deemed to be excessive so the track was watered before another attempt was made to restart. Shayne Pierce led with caution again flying at two laps complete for three cars spinning in turn one. Pierce again led at green with King right behind and Rick Richner third. King got by for the lead at lap six. Mat Williamson looped his mount as lap seven was starting, again slowing the event. Dave Murdick came from fourth on the restart to second by the end of the first lap under green. King caught the back of the field at halfway with Murdick about five lengths back. Yellow bunched the cars at lap 21 and gave the leaders clear track again. Murdick took the lead at a lap 24 restart and began open a big lead, a quarter lap by thirty circuits complete. At lap 33 Murdick got way wide in turn one but gathered it up, not losing much ground, and went on to the win over King, Brad Rapp, Rick Richner, and Kevin Boland.

Brad Blackshear and defending champion Josh Ferry led the Bonnell Auto Sales Economods to green with Ferry leading the way from the start. Cris Clay spin in turn two at lap four, slowing the race under caution. Ferry led the field back to green with Blackshear, Russ Kapalin, points leader Rick Prosser, and last week’s winner Steve Heafke filling out the top five. In lapped traffic Blackshear got the lead back then lapped traffic again got in the way, allowing Ferry to regain the lead. Caution with three laps remaining set up the dash for the win with Ferry now leading Blackshear, Kapalin, Heafke now fourth, and Prosser fifth. Blackshear again got by Ferry in turn three after green but Ferry came back to the lead and went on to win his third of the season, denying Blackshear his second of 2015. Kapalin held on for third over Haefke with Prosser settling for fifth. Although Blackshear got by the leader twice, he did not lead at the stripe either time.

Former champion Chris Withers and Mark Frontera brought the Campbell’s Mini-Storage Street Stocks to green with caution flying before the end of one lap when the pole sitter spun in turn one. Shaun Fawcett, the current points leader, grabbed the lead at the restart with Frontera second and Tim Burns third. Brandon Groters was fourth at the end of three laps and got by Burns for third at the end of five. Before lap six could be completed Groters pulled to the infield. At halfway the top five were Fawcett, Frontera, Burns, Matt Lozowski, and Withers, who had restarted from the rear after the lap one yellow. At ten laps compete Withers had moved to fourth. At the checkers it was Fawcett for his third win this season, then Frontera, Burns, Withers, and Lozowski.

Scott Gill and Casey Harmon sat on the front row for the start of the Specialty Products Mini Stocks feature with Harmon taking the lead, looking for his second feature win of the season. At the end of two laps Jason Easler had moved to second with last week’s winner Bud Sergeff up to third from sixth on the grid. At halfway Zoey Gill came to a halt in turn four, unable to get to the pit, slowing and bunching up the field. For the green it was Harmon leading Easler, Sergeff, Brad Cole, and opening night winner Hoyt Mihalak. Sergeff came from third to the lead by the time the cars got to turn one on the restart with Mihalak to third at the end of seven. Sergeff went on to his seventeenth career win at Raceway 7 and his third in a row this season. Harmon was second with Mihalak third, Cole fourth and Easler fifth.

BRP Big Block Modified Tour:

Heat 1: Brian Schwartzlander, Garrett Krummert, Rex King Sr, Shawn Fleeger, Tom Mattocks, Brian Weaver, Max Smoker, Jim Weller Jr

Heat 2: Mat Williamson, Rick Richner, Dave Murdick, Steve Feder, Bob Warren, Shawn KoArTandy Chronister, Kevin Hoffman

Heat 3: Rex King Jr, Shayne Pierce, Kevin Boland, Tom Glenn, Brad Rapp, Rodney Beltz, Steve Barr, Dillon Barr

Heat 4: Richard Regalski, Justin Wright, Jim Rasey, Jeremiah Shingledecker, Mark Frankhouser, Eric Gabeny, Jimmy Weller III, Carl Murdick

Feature: Dave Murdick, Rex King Sr, Brad Rapp, Rick Richner, Kevin Boland, Rex King Jr, Jimmy Weller III, Eric Gabeny, Jim Weller Jr, Jim Rasey, Garrett Krummert, Shawn Fleeger! Steve Feder, Mark Frankhouser, Richard Regalski, Steve Barr, Max Smoker, Bob Warren, Shayne Pierce, Shawn Kozar, Justin Wright, Dillon Barr, Rodney Beltz, Carl Murdick, Mat Williamson, Tom Matlock, Randy Chronister, Tom Glenn, Kevin Hoffman, Jeremiah Shingledecker, Brian Weaver (DNS), Brian Schwartzlander (DNS)

Evergreen Lake Park Campground CARS Crate Late Models:

Heat 1: Dennis Lunger, Billy Henry, Joe Long, Khole Wanzer, Wendall Pinckney, Dave Lyon

Heat 2: Chad Weight, Kyle Zimmerman, Breyton Santee, Bryan Salisbury, Dave Airgood, Bob Pifer

Feature: Dennis Lunger, Breyton Santee, Chad Wright, Bryan Salisbury, Billy Henry, Kyle Zimmerman, Khole Wanzer, Dave Airgood, Wendall Pinckney, Fave Lyon, Bob Pifer, Darrell Bossard, Joe Long

Bonnell Collision Center E-Mods:

Heat 1: Joel Watson, Chuck Steinle Jr, Dan McDonald, Jim Plance, Alan Atkinson, Paul Schreckengost, Jimmy Diabo

Heat 2: Brent Rhebergen, Kenny Zimmer, Leonard Enos, Troy Johnson, Bill Taylor, Rick Pratschler

Heat 3: Bud Watson, Mike Kinney, Josh McDonald, Percy McDonald, Jesse Gould, Mike Potosky

Feature: Joel Watson, Ken Zimmer, Brent Rhebergen, Leonard Enos, Dan McDonald, Percy McDonald, Troy Johnson, Mike Kinney, Mike Potosky, Jim Plance, Bill Taylor, Rick Pratschler, Bud Watson, Jimmy Diabo, Pail Schreckengost, Jesse Gould, Alan Atkinson, Chuck Steinle Jr, Josh McDonald (DNS)

Campbell’s Mini-Storage Street Stocks:

Heat 1: Tim Burns, Shaun Fawcett, Chris Withers, Ed Bolyard, Rob Bates, Tyler Green, Jamie Duncan, Josh Seippel

Heat 2: Brandon Groters, Mark Frontera, Matt Lozowski, Bill Banick, Garrett Calvert, Kyle Reinwald, Jeff Broniszewski, John Bailey (DNS)

Feature: Shaun Fawcett, Mark Frontera, Tim Burns, Chris Withers, Matt Lozowski, Rob Bates, Jeff abroniszewski, Josh Seippel, Kyle Reinwald, Bill Banick, Brandon Groters, Ed Bolyard, Tyler Green, Jamie Duncan, Garrett Calvert, John Bailey

Bonnell Auto Sales Economods:

Heat 1: Rick Prosser. Eric Reinwald, Brad Blackshear, James Myers, Kevin Sergeff, Chuck Steinle Sr

Heat 2: Josh Ferry, Russ Kapalin, Steve Haefke, R J Simmons, Cris Clay, Mike Smith

Feature: Josh Gerry Brad Blackshear, Russ Kapalin, Steve Haefke, Rick Prosser, Eric Reinwald, R J Simmons, Kevin Sergeff, James Myers, Mike Smith, Cris Clay, Chusk Steinle Sr (DNS)

Specialty Products Mini Stocks:

Heat 1: Brad Cole, Hoyt Mihalak, Justin Boardman, Mitch Stokes, Kyle Adkins, Zachary Chaffin, Zoey Gill, Brian McGarvie

Heat 2: Casey Harmon, Bud Sergeff, Scott Gill, Jason Easler, Dale Fraschetti, Derrick Tuttle, Matt Miller

Feature: Bud Sergeff, Casey Harmon, Hoyt Mihalak, Brad Cole, Jason Easler, Justin Boardman, Dale Fraschetti, Mitch Stokes, Brian McGarvie, Kyle Adkins, Scott Gill, Derrick Tuttle, Zoey Gill, Zachary Chaffin (DNS), Matt Miller (DNS)